Breathe
by The Crystal Hand Alchemists
Summary: Life is a constant rollercoaster; speeding up and turning in unexpected directions...so you better hold on tight (a collaboration of short fanfics)
1. Smile

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH or any of the characters. But for those ficlets who contain my original character Mai (see 'With Every Drop of Blood' and 'Fire Dancer')—I do own her._

_a/n: I'm just going to give you all a little sampler of all the ideas I couldn't fit into my other stories. Some of these may be AU, some may not, and some might even contain Mai—it's all a surprise!_

_I'm going to try and make sure that these stories run no longer than 600 words or less (if I really have to, I'll stretch the word count, but only if it's necessary)_

_Enjoy!_

_What Life Brings_

:Smile:

"C'mon, Hiei! Just take one picture with us!"

The apparition glowered as he stood apart from his teammates. There was no way in hell that he was going to take any picture—let alone with _them_.

But they just wouldn't shut up about it!

"Yeah, Hiei!" Kuwabara called to him, "We just won for crying out loud! You could stand to take at least _one_!"

He snorted, "I doubt it," he muttered under his breath. They couldn't give him enough demons to kill to make him take a photo with those fools. The only reason he had fought in the damn tournament to begin with was because he was forced to…just like he was forced to restrain from killing off that baka over there…

There was suddenly an arm around his shoulders, "Can't you just get rid of that bad-ass attitude for a little bit? All you have to do is smile for one itty bitty second!" Urameshi coaxed.

Kurama, who had been standing beside the detective, coughed as he tried to conceal a laugh, "I don't think he knows how to smile, Yusuke…smirk maybe…" he added thoughtfully.

The apparition growled under his breath, "Fox—" he muttered warningly, but didn't have time to finish his threat when he suddenly felt them both grab onto his hands and legs. It took him only a second to comprehend what was happening, "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded furiously, but both Kurama and the detective were too busy dragging him off towards the others.

By the time they had set him down, the rest of the team had already positioned themselves in front of the camera. Hiei frowned and folded his arms over his chest. He glanced away from the ogre holding the camera as he raised it up to his eyes.

If any of these idiots tried to use this picture against him, he swore to himself that he would wring each of their feeble little necks and rip apart their body until all that remained was a bleeding, gory heap of their pitiful guts. It was bad enough he was taking the damn photo, but there was no way that he would ever—

"Smile!"


	2. Hi

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH or any of the characters. But for those ficlets who contain my original character Mai (see 'With Every Drop of Blood' and 'Fire Dancer')—I do own her._

_a/n: I'm just going to give you all a little sampler of all the ideas I couldn't fit into my other stories. Some of these may be AU, some may not, and some might even contain Mai—it's all a surprise!_

_I'm going to try and make sure that these stories run no longer than 600 words or less (if I really have to, I'll stretch the word count, but only if it's necessary)_

_Enjoy!_

_What Life Brings_

:Hi:

The redhead tapped his pencil impatiently along the tabletop as the café buzzed excitedly with visitors. This was just perfect; entrance exams were coming up soon and he had hardly opened a single text book. He just couldn't help it; his mind kept wandering from his studies. His thoughts kept finding their way back to _her_.

"_Don't worry! Kazuma Kuwabara—warrior of love—will make sure no harm comes to my precious Yukina!"_

His eye ticked slightly. Jeeze, no wonder she went back to the ice realm he thought bitterly; he had acted like such an idiot…who would like someone like him?

Kazuma sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. There was just something about her that made him act that way; almost as if he knew she wouldn't care if he acted like a goofball all the time. Yukina was different than all the other girls he had met before…

She…she was special…

It was as if she really cared about him for who he really was. Then a thought occurred to him: what if she was just being nice? What if she acted like that to everyone else? He felt his heart plummet to the pit of his stomach; he couldn't bear it if that was the case; he loved Yukina—he would do anything for her! Hadn't he proven that before when they had rescued her from Tarukane?

Against his own fill, he felt tears coming on.

_No. Kazuma Kuwabara you are a man!_ He told himself, _and men don't cry!_

But it didn't very well matter now anyway, now that he thought about it; she was gone for good. They had made sure of that after the Dark Tournament; they had said their goodbyes and that was it…

Just like that she was gone. And while he and the others were fighting Sensui and the other physics, he hadn't heard a single word from her since. He thought he was lonely then, but now with Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama gone too, it was as if the whole world had deserted him—

He shook his head; he couldn't think about that now. It was now his job to pass those exams. He had to start studying; he had made a promise to himself that he would make it to college, with or without the others' help.

There was the tinkling of bells as someone new stepped into the café. Out of curiosity, Kuwabara lifted his head to see who it was.

He had to do a double-take.

The young girl glanced around the busy restaurant uncertainly as she tried to look for a seat. Kazuma couldn't help but stare. It…it was as if he was looking into a dream. Her crystal-blue hair was tied high upon her head with a bright red ribbon and she wore a cerulean-colored t-shirt and jeans.

He almost shot out from his seat, "Y-Yukina!"

The rest of the café looked at him as if he were insane, but the girl didn't even look up…that is until she had made her way closer towards his booth. She continued to look around for a seat, but then turned to find Kazuma sitting alone.

"Is…is anyone sitting here?" she asked and gestured towards the empty seat. Without saying a word, the redhead shook his head. The girl smiled gratefully and nimbly scooted into the seat across from him.

She extended her hand towards him, "Hi, my name is Yuki," she greeted.

Kuwabara took it gently, unsure for a moment. But then he grinned proudly, "Kazuma Kuwabara."

_a/n: it's just a coincidence everyone (I was going to make it a bit more complicated, but I was kind of running out of words :nervous laugh:)_


	3. Mace

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH or any of the characters. But for those ficlets who contain my original character Mai (see 'With Every Drop of Blood' and 'Fire Dancer')—I do own her._

_a/n: I'm just going to give you all a little sampler of all the ideas I couldn't fit into my other stories. Some of these may be AU, some may not, and some might even contain Mai—it's all a surprise!_

_I'm going to try and make sure that these stories run no longer than 600 words or less (if I really have to, I'll stretch the word count, but only if it's necessary)_

_Enjoy!_

_What Life Brings_

:Mace:

Mai opened her bedroom door with a sigh. She tossed her backpack onto her desk without even flipping on a light and leaned up against the doorframe heavily. Spending her entire day running errands and coming back to an empty home was not what she called gratitude.

"That's just like them too," she mumbled as she rolled her shoulders. The least Yusuke and Kuwabara could have done was go with her and carry the stupid bags…but _noooo_ they had 'business' to take care of. The only business they had to do was fix that hole in the bathroom wall (see flashback in chapter 19 of WEDoB).

She sighed again and reached to flip on the light switch. The guardian frowned however when none of the lights came on.

"Weird…the power must be out…"

Suddenly, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and her eyes bolted quickly around the darkened room. Was…was someone there? She hadn't seen any shoes or any traces of anybody inside the house when she had come in; but there wasn't any other way into Genkai's temple.

But just to be sure, Mai felt her way around her desk until her hand clasped around a small aerosol can. A slender finger sat ready on top of the button as she took a few wary step into the room. She couldn't hear anything but her heavy breathing, but her senses told her that something wasn't right.

Even though it was already dark within the room, she closed her eyes to clear her mind. Silence enveloped her and it became so quiet that she was able to hear the crickets chirping outside her window.

It was only until her senses clicked that she swiftly whirled around and held up the spray can. With her fear taking over, she screamed, "Get out!" and let her finger push down on the button.

Almost immediately there was a crashing sound as the intruder backed into her desk, sending her books and anything else crashing to the ground, "BAKA ONNA!"

The lights suddenly flickered on around her, "Hm, I guess the power is working again—" she turned to face the stranger only to feel the blood drain from her face, "H-Hiei?"

The apparition was clutching his eyes desperately, "What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded without being able to make eye-contact, "It was bad enough those bastards forced me through the window, and now I'm being sprayed with poison gas!" Without using his eyes (though, he was probably using his Jagan), he snatched the aerosol can from her hands and tossed it furiously out the window. Mai was about to protest until she heard a curious thud from where the can had fallen.

"Hey, I wonder what this is…" came Kuwabara's voice as he picked it up. After a pause there was a hissing sound coming from below, "AH! IT BURNS! JUST LIKE MY LOVE FOR YUKINA!" he cried frantically.

"Kuwabara you moron," Yusuke muttered next and then shouted to them through Kazuma's moans of pain, "Come on already Mai! Koenma has another demon he wants us to get rid of!"

The apparition snorted, "And of course I was dragged into this useless mission with them," he growled as he blinked a few times and removed his hands from his face. To the guardian, he almost looked shaken by the experience.

"Personally, I would have rather faced your spirit gun any day than that death spray."


	4. Gone

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH or any of the characters. But for those ficlets who contain my original character Mai (see 'With Every Drop of Blood' and 'Fire Dancer')—I do own her._

_a/n: I'm just going to give you all a little sampler of all the ideas I couldn't fit into my other stories. Some of these may be AU, some may not, and some might even contain Mai—it's all a surprise!_

_I'm going to try and make sure that these stories run no longer than 600 words or less (if I really have to, I'll stretch the word count, but only if it's necessary)_

_Enjoy!_

_What Life Brings_

:Gone:

Silence filled the quiet hospital room…a silence that filled its occupants with a deep dread and sorrow. It was so thick in the air that anyone could touch it…and break down into tears. Quiet sobs were heard from along the bedside while the others within the room stared unblinking into the void around them.

It almost seemed impossible…

None of them ever thought it would really happen—at least not a second or third time.

The young teen lay motionless beneath the pale bed sheets, his black hair fell in strands over his placid face; permanently frozen in time.

Kuwabara glanced blankly towards the bed, "…Who would have thought…the great Urameshi would die in a coma…" he mused bitterly as if he found the situation ironic. Everyone could tell that even he was close to tears. But the silence remained…as if no one even believed it had really happened…

As he could never really die…

Keiko gripped the bed sheets in her fists weakly as the tears continued to stream down her face. He…he couldn't die; he couldn't just leave her! She had seen him come back from the dead before; he could do it again, couldn't he?

Her bottom lip trembled. He had always been so strong…but…but that last fight must have been too much for him. The bleeding of his internal organs killed him, and it wasn't even as though he could fight against it—defend himself like all the others…

He had just been too weak…

"Y-Yusuke…you jerk…" she whispered. He had made a promise to her; a promise that he would come back to her. She laughed at herself bitterly; she had been an idiot to believe him. Hell, she had even started planning what they would do together…how they would live the rest of their lives.

But when she got the news, she almost waited for a dream to come to her like the last time. As time went by, she knew it wasn't coming; Botan had even told them that this was his time…

This time he was supposed to die.

Keiko took in a shuddering breath and shook her head. Slowly, she rose from her knees and stood above Yusuke's lifeless body. She found herself leaning towards him; leaning until she felt her lips against his.

A tear trickled down her cheek as she slowly pulled away. The girl waited as if expecting him to sit up and put on that goofy grin of his and say 'Nice kiss'…but he only stayed as he was before. His body was now cold and lifeless…

The great Yusuke Urameshi was gone.

_a/n: this inspiration came when I thought about how it would suck if Yusuke really did die in something so simple as a coma and he couldn't even fight back. But hopefully this is not the end of these little fanfics!_


	5. Upside Down

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH or any of the characters. But for those ficlets who contain my original character Mai (see 'With Every Drop of Blood' and 'Fire Dancer')—I do own her._

_a/n: I'm just going to give you all a little sampler of all the ideas I couldn't fit into my other stories. Some of these may be AU, some may not, and some might even contain Mai—it's all a surprise!_

_I'm going to try and make sure that these stories run no longer than 600 words or less (if I really have to, I'll stretch the word count, but only if it's necessary)_

_Enjoy!_

_NOTE: just for this chapter, if you guys are Mai/Kurama fans, I apologize in advance._

_What Life Brings_

:Upside-down:

The wind blew past him with a quiet moan as it swept over the hillside. Blades of grass brushed against his face, but he wiped them away absently.

With a sigh, Yusuke stared up at the sky above him. But by the way his head faced the bottom of the hill, it appeared to him as though the clouds had become the ground itself. He frowned at his own reasoning; that sounded kind of stupid.

He placed his hands behind his head and squinted down at the city beyond the forest. Far off, he could hear cars honking and whizzing through intersections. The detective thought for a moment as he stared at the clouds drifting along the ground and the buildings hanging upside-down from the sky. _You know…_he might have liked to see the world like that; switched around…

…Different…

A breeze swept over him and ruffled his t-shirt while he sighed again. In a sense…his own life had been turned upside-down…at least ever since she came along. He found himself laughing inwardly; she had changed a lot of things that was for sure. Maybe it was just him, but he could have sworn that Kuwabara was even acting slightly smarter…

There was just something about her that almost had a certain effect on people…

Or maybe it was just him she had affected.

He frowned momentarily and stared back at the city hanging in the sky. It was weird how these things seemed to tie into his life. Or that might have just been the aftermath of coming back to life—whatever it was, it was kind of creepy.

Lazily, Urameshi ran his fingers through his hair. It only occurred to him what might have happened if they had never bumped into one another that day; if they had never crossed paths…

_A lot of things would have never happened_, he decided. But most of all, he could almost feel that something more would be missing from him. She seemed to fill that void…but what it was exactly, he didn't really know; ever since she had turned their lives around, he couldn't understand what it was about her that made such a difference—

"There you are!"

Yusuke lifted his head off the ground to find Mai jogging down the slope towards him, her bright red ponytail bouncing behind her. She grinned and plopped onto the ground next to him. Her cheeks were flushed—probably from trudging up all the slopes looking for him.

"You've been up here all day?" she wanted to know rather cheerfully.

He shrugged and laid his head back on the grass, "Pretty much," he answered simply. The guardian beamed and fell backwards so that she too stared up at the sky.

Her violet-speckled eyes shimmered beneath the sunlight, "It's nice up here," she smiled contently, "And it's a pretty day too…"

Urameshi turned his head towards her and stared for a moment. As he was watching her smile, a thought occurred to him…

Maybe…

…Maybe living upside-down wasn't all too bad…


	6. Babysitting

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH or any of the characters. But for those ficlets who contain my original character Mai (see 'With Every Drop of Blood' and 'Fire Dancer')—I do own her._

_a/n: I'm just going to give you all a little sampler of all the ideas I couldn't fit into my other stories. Some of these may be AU, some may not, and some might even contain Mai—it's all a surprise!_

_I'm going to try and make sure that these stories run no longer than 600 words or less (if I really have to, I'll stretch the word count, but only if it's necessary)_

_Enjoy!_

_What Life Brings_

:Babysitting:

The bright, blue-haired girl sighed and leaned up heavily against the doorframe as she watched the child run around the room merrily. He would stop every once in awhile and blow wet raspberries at her before waddling off.

Man, that kid sure knew how to wear somebody out…

She sighed again and plopped down heavily in plushy armchair in the corner of the room. Botan rubbing the bridge of her nose gingerly, _his parents aren't paying me nearly enough for this_—not that she was ever paid enough; especially with that smart-ass Yusuke kid down the street.

With this kid, it was almost as if _he_ was in charge. Like the moment his father left, he was suddenly the man out of the house—though, that was quite impossible at the moment since he was still in diapers. Even so, he seemed to whine about everything; especially when he didn't get what he wanted.

_I swear he's going to run his own corporation one day…_she mused to herself as she watched the toddler flop onto the ground and start to play with the stuffed animals strewn about. The pacifier in his mouth stuck out in concentration as he arranged the toys in the exact order he wanted them. It took him almost five minutes until he found them to his liking. He grinned proudly and glanced up at the blue-haired girl, pointing excitedly at the toys.

Botan smiled weakly as she let out a long yawn; then again, there were times when he could be a bit of a cutie. At least he wasn't as bad as Yusuke…

She frowned then when a sent filled her nose. The blue-haired girl eyed the toddler for a moment before she carefully lifted him off the ground until he was eye-level with her.

After a short inspection, she managed a short laugh and grinned, "Uh-oh! Looks like Koenma-chan made a poopie!"


	7. Cake

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own YYH or any of the characters. But for those ficlets who contain my original character Mai (see 'With Every Drop of Blood' and 'Fire Dancer')—I do own her._

_a/n: I'm just going to give you all a little sampler of all the ideas I couldn't fit into my other stories. Some of these may be AU, some may not, and some might even contain Mai—it's all a surprise!_

_I'm going to try and make sure that these stories run no longer than 600 words or less (if I really have to, I'll stretch the word count, but only if it's necessary)_

_Enjoy!_

_Breathe_

:Cake:

Yusuke looked up suspiciously from his plate at the girl in front of him. Her head rested absently along the palm of her hand as she gazed out the window at the people passing by.

Around them, the small café buzzed cheerfully, but the detective continued to watch Mai. She seemed deep in thought and almost oblivious to what was going on around them. Maybe she was wondering where the others were? He had to admit that even Kuwabara was running late…

He swallowed hard on the piece of cake he was eating…but…but maybe she was thinking about…a-about him…

The detective gulped…

_But…about what?_ He wondered nervously and popped another forkful of the cake into his mouth. With her, you never knew what she was thinking—

And it drove him crazy!

What if she was thinking about why he and Kuwabara hadn't fixed that hole in the bathroom wall—?

Wait a minute…

He _did_ fix the hole in the wall! And without Kuwabara's help!

So what could she—?

…

Urameshi's heart sank suddenly…

She…she might be thinking about him and Keiko…he swallowed hard; right now, she could be slowly building up her hatred for him because of that time at the Dark Tournament…

But he didn't mean it that way! It was involuntary; it just happened! She couldn't possibly be mad at him because of something like that, could she? Plus, she should've known by now that he never thinks anything through—!

Unexpectedly, the guardian sighed. She turned her head back towards her own plate and cut off a piece of her cake.

Yusuke watched her munch on it slowly. After she had swallowed, Mai rested her head on the back of her hand and turned her attention towards the detective…

_Crap, here it comes…_he thought dismally and instinctively braced himself against an assault.

"Have you ever noticed that you're name sounds a lot like 'mousse cake'?" she wondered.

He blinked, _what the hell?_

"I just noticed that…" she continued normally. Mai paused a moment and smiled, "It's kind of funny."

Urameshi blinked again, "_That's_ what you've been thinking about all this time?" he wondered miraculously and could only stare at her.

She nodded; "Yup..." she stopped and eyed him curiously, "Why? What did _you _think I was thinking about?"

Yusuke jumped guiltily and glanced out the window, mumbling something incoherently under his breath. He paused before he finally answered, "Nothing…"

But as the guardian went back to her dessert, he frowned in her direction…

"You really think it sounds like 'mousse cake'?"


End file.
